updated 08:40 am EDT, Tue July 10, 2007

Dell debuts Vostro line

Dell has introduced its first new computer label in years, targeting small business with its new Vostro desktops and notebooks. Most are virtually identical to the Inspiron portables and towers but allow the option of no trial software, come with a 30 day money back guarantee with no restocking or shipping fees, and 10GB of online backup for 1 year. A document leak in early June revealed the new Santa Rosa-based portables, which are cased in all-black and feature a sleeker design than the home versions along with a subtler row of media keys for playing DVDs and music without starting Windows.

Most of the notebooks are rough equivalents in terms of features and performance: the 14-inch Vostro 1400, 15-inch 1500, and 17-inch 1700 are similar to the Inspiron 1420, 1520, and 1720 but can start out with more basic features for businesses that might not need media features. The lowest-priced Intel system, the Vostro 1400, begins at $599 with a 1.86GHz Celeron M, 512MB of RAM, Vista Home Basic, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive; virtually all systems can be upgraded to faster Santa Rosa-based Core 2 Duos and dedicated GeForce 8400M or 8600M graphics depending on the size of the system. The top-end 1700 can be fitted with dual 160GB hard drives for extra storage in desktop replacement versions. A lone AMD version, the Vostro 1000, drops the price to $499 with a Mobile Sempron processor.

Desktops are in turn similar to the Inspiron 530 models, with the Vostro 200 mini tower and slim towers borrowing the same shapes with the new business focus. Unlike other lines, however, the Vostro towers run solely on Intel processors; the lowest-cost mini tower starts at $369 with a 1.6GHz Celeron, 512MB of memory, Windows XP, and a read-only DVD drive. Choosing the slim version lifts the price to $399 without changing internal parts, while all systems have the choice of more advanced drives as well as up to a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo.